Banks are swapping assets in a bid to transform illiquid assets into liquid, highly rated assets that are eligible for repo. But do regulators fully understand the implications and fears that banks are repeating the mistakes of past, and just who has all the repos?

With Colombia's GDP expected to rise by 5% for both 2011 and this year, and a growing sense of optimism across the country, president Juan Manuel Santos explains why he is buoyant over the future of a country once dogged by corruption and drug trafficking.

Italy's recent debt problems can be traced back to years of mismanagement by the country's self-serving politicians on both sides of the political fence. Mario Monti's 'technocrat' government, however, offers hope of a short-term financial revival and a long-term rethink of the manner in which Italian politics is conducted.

After the Arab Spring uprisings, Tunisia's new democratically elected government has the task of attracting investment to the country and creating jobs for its youthful population. Its Jasmine Plan, which heavily involves the private sector, is intended to do just this.

When China's biggest bank, ICBC, launched its first dollar bond issue, it offered investors a rare opportunity of direct exposure to the mainland banking system. There was no shortage of interest. Along with UBS and ICBC's own investment arm, Barclays Capital landed the role of global co-ordinator, helping BarCap cement its Asian standing.

The Chinese banking sector may have emerged relatively unscathed from the financial crisis, but regulatory reform is still high on its agenda, meaning that the China Banking Regulatory Commission has been keen to stay one step ahead of the game by introducing a new set of regulatory standards in the first half of 2011, which placed a strict emphasis on liquidity.

HSBC has not suffered in the global financial crisis as badly as many of its UK counterparts, and it is already well established in the high-growth emerging markets likely to dominate world trade in the coming decades. However, the bank's new chief executive still believes it could be offering better value to HSBC investors.

One of the key facets to Europe emerging from its current malaise lies in the creation of a market in which its social businesses – innovative entrepreneurs that make up about 10% of the continent’s companies – can thrive, unencumbered by red tape, lack of finance or regional boundaries. The European Commission is on the case. 

In the shape of Basel III, the rules are in place to help ensure that banks and supervisors are better equipped to deal with the next financial crisis. However, it is implementing these rules that is key.